Thoughts on blogging after three months on dev.to

By day I’m a BI Data Analyst and by night I write about SQL and data things here on dev.to and am studying for my AWS Solutions Architect Associate certification exam.

I’ve just reached the three-month mark writing on dev.to so it’s time for some reflection. This does involve some humblebragging, but I promise it will be over soon.

The Stats

24 posts

3800+ followers

90 000+ views

Top 7 of the week x4

Plenty of confidence and new contacts

Why I’m here

I began blogging on my self-hosted Wordpress site the last time I was on the job hunt. To no surprise, it wasn’t exactly flooded with new visitors.

After seeing a colleague blogging on Medium, I weighed up my options and decided to take the plunge on dev.to. I’m really glad I did. I’m not a traditional web developer or software engineer but I still have something to offer the community.

Finding my voice

My first few posts were ‘listicles’, easy to read, but felt a little too Buzzfeedy.

I reassessed the tone and found a more conversational voice. The same way I’d talk to a colleague about a technical subject, but without recreating technical documentation.

Most viewed posts

These are three posts I’m most proud of, and coincidentally, have the most views.

I'm pretty passionate about code readability. Not only for whoever ends up reviewing it but for 'future me' going back to it a few months later. Which is why I had to write about my preference for CTEs over subqueries.

As it turns out, I'm not the only one who feels this way and there were some great comments and feedback. The discussion even carried over to r/programming on Reddit.

I was introduced to the concept of a coding bootcamp when thinking about upskilling and learning more about development, not necessarily with career switching in mind, but gaining a few more skills.

This article kicked off a discussion about whether coding bootcamps are a replacement for the traditional CS degree or whether they can be an additional way for developers to upskill. I really enjoyed everyone's comments on both sides.

This is a recent post on one of the things I found the hardest to get my head around when I was starting off with SQL. As I visual learner I found seeing the data and the result of my join was easier than looking at venn diagrams. As it turns out a lot of people feel the same, and enjoy a refresher on the basics as well.

Not just the tech things

One of the great things about dev.to is that you don't have to write about tech topics all the time. I've been able to write about soft skills and personal experiences that are just as important as the technical side.

Where to next?

I'll be working on my AWS Solutions Architect Certification, writing about my experiences getting through the coursework, more on SQL and databases, and hopefully passing the exam.

Thank you!

Thank you to everyone in the community who has been so welcoming and has encouraged me to write about what I know. Especially my fellow data and AWS bloggers: